Legend of the Okami
by Itachi-21
Summary: Okami has always been Okami. The wolf-girl. The monster. Little did she know that the Akatsuki would be the ones to change that as well as her life. SasorixOC
1. The Legendary Ice-Wolf Demon

I'm sure that all of you have heard many great stories about the Akatsuki. Yes, I am talking about the group of S-ranked little misfits who have a desire for world domination. Now, my question to you is, do you believe the idea that this group of misunderstood people is truly evil? If you say no, then keep reading. If you say yes...well, keep reading anyway to see how wrong you are.

The legend you are about to hear is not very well-known actually, but it is one of the ones that bring out the kindness and love hidden deep in the Akatsukis' hearts. But before I can tell you that story, you must learn about the Ice-Wolf Demon, who helped this story unfold...

* * *

A long, long time ago, there lived a clan in Yukigakure. This clan was probably the most powerful clan in the Land of Snow at that time because of their power to communicate with wolves. However, the Tsurara Clan was very peaceful, only using their power when absolutely necessary.

The Tsurara Clan was also good friends with a wolf made of ice, who is more commonly known as the Ice-Wolf Demon. The Clan Leader, Imaki Tsurara, would often go visit the Ice-Wolf in the ice mountain and sit with it, chatting from sunrise to sunset.

Unfortunately, the fates had something dark planned for this peaceful Clan.

Imaki's brother, Mamaji Tsurara, was deeply jealous of Imaki and harbored a strong desire to be the Clan Leader. Eventually, this darkness led to the death of Imaki. By Mamaji's hand.

Once Mamaji took over the Tsurara Clan, nothing was the same anymore. The once peaceful clan became a group of murderers and criminals. No one could stop them because any opposition would be eliminated with the power of ice. The Tsurara Clan quickly took over Yukigakure and some of present-day Takigakure and Otogakure. But Mamaji still wasn't satisfied.

One day, Mamaji led a group of his most trusted followers to the ice mountain where the Ice-Wolf Demon resided. The Ice-Wolf, who had not been told of Imaki's death, was surprised to see Mamaji.

"Where is Imaki?" the Ice-Wolf growled, rising to his paws and glaring down at the group.

"He is dead," Mamaji replied boldly, signaling to his followers, "And you are now under my command."

"Fool...!" the Ice-Wolf snarled, but let out a roar of pain as ice spikes burst from the ground, piercing his skin, "What...?"

"Your power is mine," Mamaji declared, forming hand signs and sealing the Ice-Wolf in himself.

Using the power of the Ice-Wolf, Mamaji became practically unstoppable. His Clan took over more territory, and blood was shed wherever the Tsurara Clan went.

Little did Mamaji know that the Ice-Wolf Demon was slowly killing him from the inside. When he found out about this fact, he tried desperately to stop it. But there was no way to halt the process. The wolf's chakra was too powerful and pure for someone as evil as Mamaji.

After Mamaji's death, the Tsurara Clan was thrown into turmoil. Their enemies took this chance to attempt to eliminate the clan. The distressed clan went to the Ice-Wolf Demon for help, but their efforts were fruitless. The Ice-Wolf was infuriated with the clan and killed half of the clan itself. Having no choice, the Tsurara Clan faced the oncoming enemy alone.

And was completely wiped out.

If I said that, it would be a lie. There was only one survivor, Aiko Tsurara. Aiko was pregnant at the time of the final battle, so she had hidden away while the rest of the Clan fought. Upon realizing that everyone else was dead, Aiko knew that she couldn't survive either. So she did one of the most dangerous things a Tsurara could do.

She went to plead with the Ice-Wolf.

"Why are you here?" the Ice-Wolf spat.

Aiko kneeled pleadingly in front of the demon, hands clasped in front of her. "Please," she sobbed, "I need your help."

"I no longer have anything to do with the Tsurara Clan." The Ice-Wolf turned away.

"If you won't help me, at least help the future generations," Aiko begged.

"Why should I?" The Ice-Wolf glared at the weeping woman with furious, red eyes.

"The future generations have nothing to do with what Mamaji did to you!"

The Ice-Wolf curled his lip. "They share his blood. That is bad enough."

"But is it really blood that determines a person's character?" Aiko questioned, "Imaki-sama and Mamaji shared blood, yet they were completely different in character."

The Ice-Wolf growled in frustration, realizing that Aiko's words were true. He gave his consent, and the two reached an agreement. The Ice-Wolf would allow himself to be sealed in a host and protect his host when needed. However, when his help is unnecessary, the Ice-Wolf Demon would feed off the life force of his host, eventually killing the pour soul.

To this day, there have been a total of thirty-four hosts for the demon. None of them survived past the age of twenty-five.

Until Okami came along…

* * *

_**This is just the prologue for this story. Next chapter will come out as soon as possible!**_

_**R &R!**_


	2. Exile

"Okami!"

A woman in her mid-thirties stomped around, her black hair tied in a bun. Peering into every crevice and crack in the house, she continued to mutter, "That girl is so good at hiding, it always takes me over three hours to find her!"

Straightening up from peering under the bed, the woman proceeded to fling open the closet doors and dig under the clothes. After five minutes of fruitless searching, she proceeded to the kitchen and let out one last yell.

"Okami!"

* * *

A white-haired girl quietly walked along the edge of a forest. She looked no more than five years old with her hair reaching halfway down her back and ice-blue eyes. Her eyes shone with curiosity as her sensitive ears picked up the chirping of birds and the scuttling of squirrels.

A sparrow landed on her shoulder, chirping gently. The girl turned her head slightly to gaze at the bird. The movement startled the creature; it flapped its wings and fluttered above the girl's shoulder before settling back down.

Suddenly, the bird took flight again, chirping alarmingly. The girl looked up to see a gang of three boys headed in her direction. One of them was holding a kunai, and he was obviously boasting to the other boys.

"My dad gave me a kunai! He said I could go practice with it," he bragged.

"Aw, come on, Takeshi! Let us practice with it, too," another boy begged.

"If you want to practice, then you should have asked your parents for a kunai," Takeshi retorted, clearly enjoying the jealousy of the other two boys.

Suddenly, he turned to stare at the girl. "What are you looking at, monster?" he sneered.

She blinked, turned around, and started walking away.

"Hey, demon! Don't ignore me!" Takeshi shouted and threw his kunai at the girl. She whipped around just in time to see the weapon miss her head by a couple of millimeters. Taken by surprise, she started running into the woods with the three boys on her tail.

"Come back here, monster! You need to be taught a lesson!"

"Stop running, you coward!"

The three boys halted in the middle of the woods. Peering around, there was no sign of the target they were chasing.

"What? Where did she go?"

"Come on out! Only cowards would hide!"

"Let's go. We taught her a lesson. Maybe she'll go and die now."

Talking amongst themselves, the boys started going back the way they came. However, they failed to notice a white wolf watching them from behind a tree.

* * *

"Okami, dear! Where have you been?" the black-haired, middle-aged woman exclaimed as the white-haired girl stepped into the house.

Okami tilted her head to the side and ducked it apologetically. The woman noticed that Okami's hair was tangled and leaves and twigs stuck out.

"Your hair is filthy, too!" she scolded the young girl, "Come, let's get you cleaned up before the village meeting."

This woman isn't Okami's real mother. Okami's real mother had died giving birth to Okami. This woman, Meiji, had agreed to adopt Okami since Okami's father had died before she was born. In other words, Okami is an orphan.

Meiji was a good foster mother. She cared for Okami, doing her best to make sure Okami would have a good life. She never thought Okami's white hair was weird, and even believed that Okami looked very cute in wolf form.

On the contrary, the rest of the village deemed the white hair and the ability to transform into a wolf as signs of a monster. They shunned her and threatened her, always saying that things would be better off if Okami was dead. Of course, Okami did her best to ignore them, but that was kind of hard to accomplish seeing that everyone would glare at her when they saw her. Meiji also did her best to make sure Okami didn't take the villagers' words to heart.

"Seriously, Okami, if you keep getting your hair dirty, you'll end up getting lice," Meiji continued as she plucked the last twig from Okami's hair.

Okami shrugged, which was her way of saying, "Whatever."

Another quirk of Okami was that she didn't talk. Never said a single word in her life so far. Meiji attempted to teach her to speak, but Okami had just sat there and stared, not even trying to mimic the sounds Meiji demonstrated. Fortunately, Okami did learn how to write, so she would occasionally communicate through writing and drawing.

Meiji untied her own hair. "I'm leaving for the meeting now, sweetie," she gave Okami a kiss on the forehead, "Behave yourself and keep an eye on the house, okay?"

Okami nodded, following her foster mother to the front door. Meiji waved once more before heading in the direction of the town hall.

Okami closed the sliding door before retreating to her room. A full moon shone through her window, casting a light across Okami's face and making her eyes seem to glow. She stood there staring at the moon for a while before closing the window. Giving the room a final glance, she transformed.

* * *

"You're what?" Meiji exclaimed, unable to believe her ears.

"You heard me, Meiji," the head of the village said, "I do not wish to repeat myself."

"She's too young," Meiji spluttered, "She won't be able to survive out there!"

"What happens to her is none of our concern," the village head replied calmly, "You either do as we say, Meiji, or the villagers shall dispose of her. Using _our _way."

Meiji clenched her hands into fists and closed her eyes, trying to control her angry shaking. After a long moment of silence, she said, "Very well. I will do it."

The village's head nodded. "You have until nightfall tomorrow."

Meiji nodded stiffly and left the room.

* * *

Okami was woken from her nap by the sound of the sliding door opening. Rising to her paws, she dashed out of the room and down the stairs, greeting her foster mother with a gentle nudge with her wolf-nose.

"Hello, Okami," Meiji said, not meeting Okami's ice-blue eyes. The wolf gazed at her curiously, no doubt sensing something wrong. Saying nothing to the worried wolf-girl, Meiji dragged her feet upstairs and went into her room, shutting the door behind her with a bang and leaving Okami out in the hall. The wolf let out a small whine, pawing at the door. When it wasn't answered, Okami padded her way into her bedroom, transformed back into a human, and settled down. She hoped so badly that whatever was bothering Meiji wouldn't be too serious.

But she was wrong.

The next morning, Okami woke up to an uneasy silence in the house. Normally, she would hear Meiji downstairs cooking breakfast or her name being called when she woke up late. But today was silent. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Zilch.

Well, maybe not completely silent. Faint footsteps reached Okami's sensitive ears. She sat up in bed as her bedroom door opened. Meiji stood in the doorway, looking tired and lost.

"Okami, dear. Could you come downstairs?" she asked hoarsely.

Okami nodded and followed her adoptive mother down into the living room. She noticed a small bag filled with food near the sliding door of the house. Curious, she looked from the bag to Meiji, clearing asking what it was for.

Meiji sighed. "Okami, I just want you to know that I love you very much and that I had no other choice but to do this."

Okami tilted her head slightly.

Meiji gripped her hair. "The villagers…they told me that I must either send you away, or they'll kill the both of us," she whispered.

Okami's eyes widened just slightly and she made a small noise in the back of her throat, kind of like a gasp.

Meiji was sobbing now. "I'm sorry, Okami! I can't let you die, and the only way you even have a chance of surviving is by leaving. I'm sorry, so sorry…" Her voice trailed off.

The wolf-girl closed her eyes, shoulders sagging. Walking to stand next to her distressed adoptive mother, Okami wrapped her arms around Meiji's shaking form in a hug. Meiji hugged back, tears still running down her cheeks.

* * *

After the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, a group of villagers made their way to Meiji's house. Armed with pitchforks and torches, they walked grimly and with purpose. Once they reached the sliding door, the leader reached out and knocked. Meiji slid the door open, glaring at the assembled mob.

"She's gone. Been gone since mid-morning," she snapped harshly.

"Well, you won't mind if we search your house, will you?" the man who knocked asked smugly.

Meiji stood back, allowing three villagers to enter her house. As the three villagers searched the house from top to bottom, inside out, and anywhere in between, she and the mob-leader glared daggers at each other. Finally, the villagers came back out saying, "Nothing. The demon's gone."

The leader nodded, smirking. "Good to know you kept your word, Meiji."

"Which is something you could never do," Meiji responded coldly.

His face twisted into an ugly sneer, but he didn't do anything. Instead, he turned to the rest of the mob, shouting, "Let's go!"

The mob left, leaving Meiji alone in front of the house. Pausing in the doorway, Meiji lifted her hand and waved at something across the street. The thing in the woods on the other side of the street blinked once before it turned and made its way deeper into the trees, its white pelt shimmering in the moonlight.

* * *

_**Yay, another chapter done! I hope you guys enjoy it so far. Please leave me your thoughts in a review!**_

_**There's just one more chapter before the Akatsuki shows up. Actually, let me rephrase that. One more chapter before Sasori shows up. ^_^ And of course, Deidara will be with him.**_

_**R & R!**_


	3. First Meeting

One year later…

Okami flicked her wolfish ears irritably. Hunters were coming into the woods again, so she would have to find a different place to live. She did not fancy the thought of being speared and skinned, and she didn't think they would be any nicer if she just strolled out there in human form. Nope. She was leaving a home for the fifth time. And it probably would be this way until she found a secluded forest.

Padding along the edge of the forest and keeping an eye out for other people, Okami was not exactly surprised to see a village looming from the horizon. She quickened her pace slightly, but suddenly froze. She couldn't just trot into the village in wolf form. That would scare the villagers. Okami dove into the bushes and transformed before walking back out and through the village gates.

There were shops on both sides of the street, and the streets were crowded! Shoppers bustled around, carrying bags laden with food and clothes. Okami quietly snuck an apple out of a passing woman's bag. She didn't have any money and survived by raiding villages for food.

Suddenly, screams came from farther up the street. The crowd started to press against Okami, making her stumble backwards. For a split second, the people parted slightly to reveal two people dressed in black cloaks heading Okami's way. Uttering a tiny gasp, Okami turned and began to flee with the crowd, but she didn't get very far when there was a loud explosion.

Okami was sent flying through the air and landed on the hard ground, winded and stunned. Unluckily, she landed next to a building, which came crashing down around her, burying her in wood and dust. Luckily, though, Okami had thrown up her arms to protect her head so she wasn't killed, or even knocked out.

She lay underneath the rubble, listening with fear and apprehension as the sounds of explosions and the screams of the rest of the villagers slowly died away, leaving an eerie silence behind. Working her sensitive ears to the bone, Okami listened for any sounds of the attackers.

After hearing nothing, she crawled out from under the rubble, shaking her head to get rid of the dust and wincing as she realized that there were splinters digging deep into her palms. Pulling herself free of the fallen building, she came face-to-face with a corpse.

She stared for a few seconds before letting out an ear-splitting scream. The dead man was covered in blood. His eyes were wide and staring, his mouth gaping in a silent howl of pain. Okami tried to scramble away, but didn't get very far until she backed into someone's legs.

The wolf-girl froze, and slowly tilted her head up to see a young man staring down at her. His long yellow hair covered half of his face, and his mouth was curled upward in a smirk.

"Look who we have here, un."

* * *

_**Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I didn't really have any fluff to put in it.**_

_**Okami is now six years old. I thought I should clarify that since age is important in this story.**_

_**R & R!**_


	4. Joining the Akatsuki

_**Olivia: I said one chapter before Sasori shows up. Sasori was not introduced in the last chapter. Therefore, he did not "show up."**_

* * *

Okami opened her mouth to scream again, but the blonde slapped his hand over her mouth. "Hey, don't scream, all right, un?" he pleaded, "I'm not gonna hurt you, un."

Okami nodded hesitantly and he released her. "My name's Deidara, hmm," he flashed her a cheeky grin, which turned into a confused frown when Okami didn't say anything.

"Well? What's your name, hmm?" he pressed, squatting down next to the white-haired girl. Okami shifted uncomfortably and peered at Deidara with her ice-blue eyes. Deidara's frown deepened.

"Can you talk, hmm?" he questioned. Okami shook her head silently.

Suddenly, something snaked around Okami's waist and lifted the six-year-old into the air. She started screaming and whimpering in fear.

"A child survived?" a deep, gravelly voice asked. Okami was swung around so that she was facing a hunched over man, who was glaring at her with small, beady eyes. The wolf-girl struggled harder. This new person scared her, and she didn't like him at all. Hate at first sight.

"Sasori-no-Danna, you're scaring her, yeah," Deidara said, trying to get the hunched over man to release Okami.

"Do I care, brat?" Sasori sneered, moving Okami to the side a little so he could glare at the blonde.

"Come on, Danna. She's too young to see your face, hmm," Deidara retorted.

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, brat." Neither of them noticed the air temperature getting colder and colder…

"Now, girl." Sasori gave Okami a little shake, making her whimper, "Who are you?"

"Sasori-no-Danna, don't do that." Deidara tried to stop his partner.

"Shut up, brat!" Sasori shouted, instinctively tightening his grip on Okami. Okami cried out and flailed harder than ever. One of her hands approached Sasori's face, and before either Akatsuki member could react…

SLAP!

Everything seemed to freeze after Okami had accidentally slapped Sasori. Both Deidara's and Sasori's eyes had widened in shock, and Sasori's head was turned to the side. Even for a six-year-old, Okami knew that she had gone too far.

The uneasy silence stretched out as Sasori slowly turned his head back, a click resounding as his neck returned to its proper place. Deidara drew in a slow breath, waiting for his partner's wrath to break. Okami squeezed her eyes shut, too scared to even make a sound.

"You're dead, girl," Sasori growled and the tip of his metal tail went for Okami's throat. She flinched and screamed. Imagine Deidara's and Sasori's surprise when Sasori's tail was stopped. By a wall of ice.

With a snarl, Sasori withdrew his metal tail and attempted to strike from another angle, only to be thwarted again as another shield of ice stopped the tail. Then, the puppet master's eyes widened as the tail began to get encased in ice. Starting from where the middle, the ice spread to the base and tip of the tail, rendering it immobile.

"Woah, Danna," Deidara said in awe, "Did you just get beaten by a six-year-old girl, hmm?"

Sasori was far from pleased. "You brat!" he shouted, "Unfreeze the tail at once!"

Okami gave a little gasp at his shout and instead of removing the ice, another layer was added. Sasori became even more infuriated, if possible.

"Why you…!" he seethed. Deidara stepped in front of the enraged puppet master.

"Danna, let me try something, hmm," he coaxed.

"Get this ice off me, or I'll kill you with her!"

Ignoring Sasori's threat, Deidara turned to Okami and stroked the girl's hair in a calming way. "Relax, okay?" he soothed. Okami cracked one eye opened and watched him warily. He smiled, "I'm not going to hurt you, hmm. Just calm down and listen to me, okay?"

Okami nodded hesitantly and Sasori barely managed to suppress a snort of exasperation.

Deidara continued to speak softly to Okami. Gradually, the ice covering the metal tail receded, melting into a cold puddle on the ground. Sasori twitched his metal tail, relishing in the fact that he could move it again.

"Now," he said venomously, "say…what?"

Okami blinked curiously at Deidara, who said, "Yeah, sorry, Leader-sama. We got held up because Danna was set on killing a girl."

Okami diverted her attention to getting free from the metal tail. She squirmed but the only response she got was a dirty look from Sasori and the tail tightening some more.

"No, Leader. The girl seems to have power over ice, hmm," Deidara said, "She nearly froze Danna's tail off, yeah."

"Shut up, brat," Sasori hissed, annoyed.

"What? Are you sure, un?" Deidara questioned.

"Leader-sama, you can't expect her to pull through. Let's just kill her now!" Sasori suggested.

After a while, he sighed, "Alright. Understood."

Sasori turned back to Okami. "You'll be stuck with us for a little longer, unfortunately," he growled before tossing her at Deidara. Okami squealed in shock as Deidara caught her.

"Danna, don't throw her like that, un," Deidara frowned as he set Okami on her feet and held her hand.

Okami gave him a questioning glance and he grinned apologetically. "Sorry, yeah, but our leader wants to see you," he explained, "We have to follow orders."

Okami shook her head vehemently and tried to tug her hand out of Deidara's grip. He retaliated by picking her up and carrying her in his arms. She wriggled, trying to get him to let go.

The blonde laughed. "Sorry, yeah. No can do."

Okami pouted and crossed her arms. Deidara laughed again. "Cute, but no."

Okami's pout turned into a scowl as she resumed her struggling to get away from Deidara.

After a few minutes, she gave up and rested her head on Deidara's shoulder, closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep.

* * *

"She's pretty cute."

"I have to agree on that, yeah."

Okami blinked open her eyes to see many unfamiliar faces peering at her. She immediately scrambled to her feet, turning her head to and fro. Her breaths came in frightened gasps.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, un!" Deidara stood in front of her, hands held up in a calming manner, "We're not going to hurt you, yeah."

Panic gripping her, Okami ignored Deidara and transformed into a wolf, streaking towards the couch and diving under it.

"That was…"

"She was so cute! Can Tobi keep her as a pet?"

"You guys scared her, un!"

"Fuck it; let me sacrifice her to Jashin-sama!"

"Leave her alone, Hidan! You can't just kill a six-year-old!"

"Fucking watch me!"

A man with silver, slicked-back hair and magenta eyes knelt down next to the couch and reached under it. Grabbing a fistful of Okami's white fur, he proceeded to try to drag her out. Okami yelped in pain and bit down on his hand, hard.

"Ow! Damn, bitch!" Hidan seethed, yanking Okami out from under the couch and holding her in midair, "You'll pay for that!"

Okami whimpered and pawed at the Jashinist's hand. Hidan only smirked and raised a knife, ready to plunge it into the wolf cub's heart.

"What's going on here?" a cold voice asked. Hidan froze and dropped the knife and Okami at the same time. Upon landing, Okami twisted her paw but held back on a cry of pain. Instead, she lifted her head to see a pretty, blue-haired woman and an intimidating, orange-haired man walk into the room.

The man glanced around the room. "Deidara, Sasori. Where is the girl?" he asked.

"Right here, hmm." Deidara scooped up Okami and held her up. The man who spoke, their leader, examined Okami with his Rinnegan eyes.

"I thought you said girl, Deidara," the woman interjected.

"She transformed, un." Deidara shrugged, "She woke up and there were so many of us and she was frightened, yeah."

The leader narrowed his eyes. "You never said anything about her being able to transform."

"We didn't know at that time," Sasori answered in a bored voice.

The woman stepped forward, arms out. "May I?" she asked Deidara.

"Go ahead, Konan, un."

Konan reached out towards Okami, who shut her eyes and flinched away. Konan recoiled slightly, concern flashing in her eyes.

"It's okay," Deidara reassured her, "She was frightened of me when we first met. It'll take a while, but she'll get over it, un."

Okami squirmed in Deidara's grasp. He put her on the floor and she returned to her hiding place under the couch.

"Pein, what do you say?" Konan asked, letting her arms drop.

Pein raised an eyebrow. "Why was the wolf limping?"

"It was probably Hidan," a black-haired man with red eyes stated calmly, "She wasn't limping before Hidan dragged her out."

Konan rounded on the Jashinist. "You hurt her?" she asked disbelievingly, "She's only, what? Six years old? What did she ever do to you?"

"She fucking bit me!" Hidan complained, showing everybody his bloody hand.

"That's because you were trying to kill her," a blue-skinned man supplied helpfully.

"Can it, tuna fish!" Hidan snapped, "You're just as bad as your partner!" He gave the black-haired, red-eyed man a rude gesture.

A tall, masked man smacked the back of Hidan's head. "Stop it, Hidan," he growled.

"Fuck you, Kakuzu!"

"Hey, where did the girl go, yeah?" Deidara asked, kneeling beside the couch.

…

…

"FIND HER!" Pein hollered, sending the Akatsuki members scurrying out of the room as fast as they could.

* * *

Okami peered cautiously into the kitchen, breathing in the scent of food that still lingered in the air. She took a couple of steps inside, looking around her and taking in the details. (She's in human form right now.)

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind her and she turned to see a certain Akatsuki member smirking at her.

* * *

A scream echoed through the Akatsuki base, making every single Akatsuki member rush into the kitchen to see what happened. Upon arriving, all of them stood frozen in the doorway, surprised by the sight that greeted them.

Okami was curled up on the floor, whimpering and covering her head with her arms. A couple feet away from her was…Hidan. But it wasn't just Hidan.

Ice was slowly making its way up Hidan's legs. His feet was already glued to the floor by ice, which had just reached his torso, threatening to encase him completely and turn him into the first human ice statue.

"Don't just fucking stand there! Do something!" Hidan shouted, struggling against the ice.

Kisame raised Samehada and brought it down on the ice, full force. Instead of shattering the ice as planned, the ice grew around the sword. Samehada was now trapped in the ice, and Kisame would be too, if he didn't let go.

"Damn!" Kisame growled, trying to wrench Samehada out of the ice.

"Just fucking slaughter the girl already!" Hidan snapped, the ice now halfway up his chest.

"No, un!" Deidara shouted, "Just get her to calm down, and the ice will recede! It's what happened with Sasori-no-Danna, yeah!"

Konan dashed over to where Okami lay. Scooping her up, the bluenette proceeded to rock the frightened girl gently, whispering soothing words and rubbing her back. Within seconds, the ice began to crack. The cracks gradually grew until the ice shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.

"That little bitch!" Hidan seethed, "I'll sacrifice her to Jashin-sama!"

Kakuzu restrained the angry Jashinist. "No, Hidan," he said sternly.

"Pein, can we keep her?" Konan pleaded. Everyone fell silent to hear their leader's decision.

Pein looked at the young girl, who was now clinging to Konan as though her life depended on it. "What is your name, girl?" he asked, Rinnegan boring into her ice-blue eyes.

Her gaze darted down, and she opened her mouth and closed it without any sound. Pein frowned.

"Why don't you speak?"

She silently shook her head, not meeting his gaze.

"Are you saying you cannot talk, or you will not talk?" he questioned.

Cocking her head to one side, she held up one finger.

"So you cannot talk," Pein verified. Okami shook her head.

"Can you write?" Konan asked gently. Okami blinked at her and nodded slightly. Konan beamed at her.

"Alright then," she said, conjuring up paper and pencil. "Why don't you write down your name for us?"

Okami nodded again and picked up the pencil. With quick, neat strokes, she wrote down the kanji for her name on the piece of paper. Konan picked up the paper and glanced at it, still smiling.

"Okami," she said, "The name suits you. And now, let's get you acquainted with the rest of the Akatsuki!" she suggested.

"I am Konan. Can you try to say Konan?" she asked hopefully.

Okami swallowed and opened her mouth, mouthing something soundlessly. Konan looked disappointed, but led Okami to the next person.

"This is Pein, but you will have to call him Leader-sama." Okami nodded, clinging tightly to Konan's cloak and refusing to meet Pein's eyes.

"This is Itachi." Konan gestured to the black-haired man, who blinked at her. Okami blinked back before dropping her gaze and hiding her face in Konan's collar, obviously frightened by Itachi's Sharingan.

"Kisame." The shark-man grinned at Okami, showing his sharp teeth. To everyone's surprise, Okami leaned forward and sniffed him. Then, she drew back, blinking apologetically at Kisame.

"She was probably verifying if Kisame was human," Sasori guessed.

Okami nodded.

"Did I pass?" Kisame asked jokingly. Okami smiled a little and nodded shyly. Kisame chuckled and ruffled her hair, eliciting a squeak from the six-year-old.

Okami proceeded to smile shyly at Kakuzu, give Tobi a hug upon the latter's request, keep her distance from Zetsu, and ignore Hidan completely, leaving the Jashinist sputtering in anger.

"And of course, you already know Deidara and Sasori," Konan concluded.

"Hello, yeah!" Deidara grinned at Okami. Sasori merely gave her an uninterested glance.

"Where is Okami-chan going to sleep, Leader-sama?" Tobi asked.

"She can share with me," Konan declared happily, "Come on, sweetie. I'll show you where you'll sleep and we can get your limp treated, okay?" At the last word, Konan shot a venomous glare at Hidan, who was suddenly very interested in his scythe.

Okami followed Konan out of the kitchen. At the last moment, she paused, ran back in, gave Sasori a hug, and ran out again.

"Did she seriously just hug Sasori?" Kisame asked incredulously.

"That's not fair!" Deidara pouted, "I want a hug, too!"

"Who the fuck cares," Hidan grumbled, slinging his scythe over his shoulder.

"Is Sasori-senpai okay?" Tobi asked, peering curiously at Sasori, who was frozen in shock.

"Danna, un!" Deidara knocked on Hiruko's back, "Did you faint in there, yeah?"

"Shut up, brat!" Sasori hissed, lashing his tail at Deidara (who dodged, of course), "Why the hell did that girl just do that?"

"I can think of a reason, hmm," Deidara said, "She was apologizing for accidentally slapping you."

Kisame's jaw dropped. "She slapped you and she's still alive?"

"Obviously," Sasori growled, irritated.

"I must go congratulate her." With that, Kisame turned and left.


	5. IMPORTANT!

_**Attention, all!**_

_**Due to the ridiculously large amount of schoolwork/homework I have and my desire to do well in my classes, I will NOT be updating my stories again until June. I will still be writing when I have free time, but I won't be uploading any chapters until school lets out.**_

_**Sorry to disappoint, but if I don't do well in school, I may never update again. It's better this way, trust me.**_

_**Thanks! ~Itachi-21**_


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